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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · bank · sharp · wind · bear · cap · foot · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wind — moving air
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cap — of ice
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com